[Russ Kaiser]

Hi All,

A little over 4 years ago I built a CNC router from plans purchased from John Kleinbauer (cranky to most). I was green and over-zealous and decided to super-size it, More X,Y, and Z, but leave all the important parts, Motors, screws, etc. just like the plans. It was a fantastic learning experience, but the machine wouldn't do what I wanted it to do without losing steps. My fault, not Johns. For what I had invested in it, it was a remarkable device.

I have joined here, because I have purchased a turn key machine and I know I will have all sorts of questions that I can find the answers to in this great forum. My Lurking days are over.

[Ducatikid]

Hey guys,

Moved from Canada to Croatia a few years back. Living along the Southern Dalmatian Coast, but frequently make travels to Split and Zagreb.

Just signed up to the forum recently. Looking at building a 3axis CNC to start, upgrading to 5 axis by mid 2011.

Currently sourcing out plans and information as to the design -Fixed Gantry vs. Moving Gantry.

Use of the CNC for mold making and prototyping. The creative mind never sleeps, full of ideas for this un-built CNC machine. I guess what that is what they are calling "...bit by the CNC bug.."

If someone in the same area wants to shout out to me, be great to share advice and experience. So far come across several free build plans if anyone is interested in them. Hit me up, I'll e-mail them. Personally, I'm looking more seriously at purchasing a build plan for aluminum or steel build.

Next step on the list is trying to source parts. Made some connections with others, but looking to make many more as the process has just begun and 'bugs' are sure to pop up.

...oh ya, not to mention shipping parts to this country is hella-expensive...so if someone wants Gecko drives...they get cheaper the more you buy - a shared order saved costs for everybody.

See you on the forums!!
Morgan.

[Dragonfly]

Hi all.
Been lurking here for quite a time, gathering knowledge and ideas and every newsletter I get reminds me I don't have a single post in the forums. So I guess it's time to make at least one
I am an old DIY enthusiast, especially in electronics. A former PC programmer nut in the nineties, under the circumstances of a heavy changes going here and the need to make a living somehow, went to graphical design and pre-press.
Still using computers as my primary tool. One of the positive effects of those changes was the availability and affordability of electronic components. And my personal discovery of micro controllers brought me back to my hobbies. In my work contacts with various studios and print shops I saw routers and laser engravers, numerically controlled silk screen machines, etc. So, gradually I came to the idea of building my own CNC machine.
Pity, the world crisis made things quite difficult, so my aim was to built a working construction wit the smallest budget.
This is how it looks assembled for the first real test.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

And what came out, although EMC guys write this is not for actual engraving


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

BTW, the forum so huge I can't decide where the right place to make a topic for my machine is. I'd very grateful if somebody gives me a hand.

[washtap]

I'm a software developer (been doing it forever) and a hobbyist wood worker. I've done a lot of automation software in my career and recently decided I really wanted to build a CNC for my garage workshop. I've got the electronics & computer skills and now I hope enough of the mechanical skills ... however I imagine I'll have lots of questions!

I'm blown away at the cost of the electronics and the software (gotta love industrial pricing). Commercial electronics and software are soooo much cheaper! I'd love to see the day when anybody can walk down to the local hardware store and pick up a small CNC mill and plug it into their home PC cheaply. Of course that would mean mass production to drive down the costs.

Anyhow ... glad you’re all here ... reading all your posts and links has been very useful! Thanks!

Pat


PS If I can help out with programming and hopefully drive down the costs for the home built systems at least let me know.

[dodgen55]

Hi,
Welcome to the zone. I also am new to CNC. I am just finishing up building a cnc kit from PDJcnc.com and also building a 3d laser scanner. I find that the software (Cad/Cam) is expensive to do either.

Roy Dodgen

[Shawzam]

:wave: Hi all. New here, although been lurking and reading up for a while now. Mechanical Engineer and woodworker, so trying to combine those two things. Been interested in a small router to start, and hopefully add a swappable extruder a la RepRap or Makerbot. Looks like this is _the_ place to be!

Shawzam

[glover718]

Hello im a 2nd generation machinist, i have worked up from being the " hey my coolant tank needs cleaned" boy to running cnc mills, i havent been doing it for decades like my father but hope to expand my skills and be able to start machining my ideas i have. im here looking for some advise and tips well thats all i got for now!

[DuWain]

I am a newbie to machining. I have a gunsmith shop. I am listening, reading, and learning about the type of lathes and mills I need to expand my business. I appreciate all the help I can get from you knowledgeable folks.

[Spruk805]

Cant wait to be of service to any one in need.


Trupart Manufacturing
4450-A Dupont Court
Ventura, CA 93003
Ph: (805) 644-4107
Fax: (805) 644-2735
www.trupartmfg.com

[coldspot]

Well Folks
I have been lurking for quite a while. This is a most knowledgeable group and quite intimidating to a newbie like me. Anyway to introduce myself, I live in the middle of the Canadian prairies where it is winter right now. I have an interest is older British motorcycles and of course older cars and trucks and tractors just to keep it interesting. So this has led me into machine tools. I have learned some things the hard way. I now own 2 Logan lathes, a 201 and an 1855. The 201 is going to take me another year to acquire enough parts to make it work properly, Replace headstock and tailstock and add some missing parts- lots of learning there. The 1855 needs a phase converter and a good cleaning and it should be good to go. Next spring, I will move it to its permanent home, get it leveled and see what I can make.
I am also trying to find a milling machine I would like to acquire a Bridgeport. Now there are very few machine tools in this part of the world and I have learned not to buy tools unseen. So I need to hook up with an honest used machine dealer or I need to find if people on this site will inspect tools for me.
Question 1) so are there any recommendations for used machine dealers in the middle of North America. (I drove to Vermont to pick up 201 parts and buy the 1855 so it is all relative)
Question 2) if I find a used Bridgeport on EBay or some other site, is it possible to find people on this forum who would be willing to take a look and provide me with an assessment. How could I find someone to do this?

Thanks

[DragonRider]

Hello to everyone,first time poster I have a VA-50 that I need some help with.Could someone w/ trouble shooting experience shoot me with a reply.I’ve got a 85-86 VA 50 w/ a 6mb. It was down for about 5 months while I moved it and got rotary 3 phase power to it. I’m all set up now X,Y and A axis’s are working alright, but Z isn’t working. The servo motor is humming while I’m up on top looking around. The three hydraulic solenoid relay lights for the tool change are not on either. I’ve checked all the fuses & breakers I think, no alarms either. I did have the quill blocked up during the move. The hydraulic solenoid for the the A axis clamp is working,but the pressure in the line seems to be alittle low but reads fine on the gauge(braided line to A clamp not as taunt), I’ve switched the main in feed lines around (235-240), nothing on the Z, won’t move. I’m stuck, hope you can help. Thanks Dave

[Archie Wilson]

I signed up here to try to learn more about the cabinet design software I'm using, Planit's Solid 5.0, a/k/a Cabinet Vision. We lost the ability to run parts on the CNC when certain key people left so my task has been to get parts flowing again without having to cut them manually.

My boss let our support subscription expire so I can longer post questions on Planit's eSupport site; if anyone can direct me to an active user group or forum I would appreciate it.

[dastultz]

Hello, all.

First time post here. CNCzone is a pretty big site! Not sure where to start. So many forums...

I'm documenting my conversion process here:

Kung Fu Machinist

I would appreciate it if someone could direct me to a forum/sub forum here that would be appropriate for me to lurk on / post on based on the nature of my project.

Thanks.

/Daryl

[edit: looks like I replied to Archie. Didn't mean to!]

[10s]

First time post here. What a great place! ... and it's a bit overwhelming.

I've been reading the forum and drooling over the many projects and expertise I see here.

I want to build a 2 X 4 3 axis CNC router, use Mach 3 and learn a decent 3d CAD program, what ever that might be. I'm looking at Rhino, any comments?

I have a small buget of $1,500 to $2,000. What advice do you have for a complete novice beginner? Where do I start?

Are there any diagrams (exploded) showing the parts along with their names? I want to know each part, function, pros & cons, you name it.

Thanks

-Joe

[marshallK]

I've only been lurking a short while. I'm just getting started building a small CNC machine and will probably be farming the forum for lots of advice.

Once upon a time I was a fledgling machinist in a model shop in McKinney (TX) but never learned to program CNC. Closest I got to it was on an Okuma LB 10 or 110 or something like that but it had a graphical interface that was pretty simple - never saw the G/M code. Normally ran manual mills, jig bores, lathes, and the Okuma. But that was (oh my Gosh!) 20 years ago.

Anyway a friend of mine that is a "real" machinist has helped me a lot including donating the basis for a small machine. This machine should have a XY of 5x8" and Z of 2". I'm pretty pumped up about it and also intimidated by the multiple learning curves.

Anyway, howdy.
Marshall

[UnusualFab]

Been a lurker for YEARS now! Interested in making my own CNC plasma cutter so I am always on here reading up on it. Figured I might as well register, so here I am!

[willumj]

I am William J. Bivens, loggin name "williamj" was already taken so I went this route, "willumj".

I've been a lurker here for some time now, I figure those that actually "do" should be doing the most talking. I don't "actually do" because I have no place to do my "doing" in.

I have no place to work, no "shop" of any kind what so ever. My wife will be retiring in not "too" distant future and at that point I "WILL" have some place to work and keep my "toys" (tools and what nots).

Keep up the great work everybody... and as for me... I'll just go back to lurking till my wife retires. :/

willumj

[H'u]

To the forum folks-

I'm a guitar maker in the boonies of western Colorado looking to enter the 21st century of woodworking.

I'm looking to construct a 4'x4' router and getting close to buying the all the spendy parts and pieces. Lots here in this site and I'm still digesting the info I've read so far.

When I think I know what I'm doing, before I buy those "big ticket" items, I'll post my specs and ask you to clue me about what I have likely missed.

Researching and building this machine made has been an educational and enjoyable journey and the resources in this forum have greatly helped to move me down the road toward the realization of my own machine.

Thanks to you all for the discussions and directions you have given on this site as I would never have tried to build without the insight I've gained starting from my first visit.

I can't wait to start pushing those buttons . . .

Thanks, H'u

[Thunder Hawk]

Hi,

I just bought a Phlatprinter 3, and I like it a lot. :banana:
I was told by the Phlatboyz that this is
a great place to learn about CNC routers.

Cheers. :wave:

[nvdave]

Hello everyone,
My name is Dave and I have been lurking for some time now. I am very impressed with the level of knowledge and the willingness to help others, that I have seen on this site.
I am an electrician by trade and live in Las Vegas. I bought my first machine tool - a Taig Micro Mill several years ago to prototype an invention of mine. I quickly learned the limitations of such a small machine and bought my current mill. It's a 13x42 vertical knee mill. It has a rigid head and is built like a tank. The brand is Ram Mill and was produced around 1992 by the nice man whom I bought it from. It came with a Hust controller which I'd been using, as it slowly faded away. I just pulled the trigger on the Ajax 3rd party setup and am in the process of my first retrofit. I'm most of the way through it, but have some questions. It's quite a challenge for a newbie like me! I hope I can get some help here. I've been taking pictures and plan to start a build thread.The mill is just one component of the shop I've assembled to hopefullystart producing off road buggies.

In addition to the mill, I bought (also from Mel White - many of you may know him) a 13x30 gear head engine lathe which is manual. I also have MIG, TIG, Plasma-cutting, and tube bending tooling. Eventually, I'd like to build a CNC Plasma-cutting table. I look forward to talking with some of you.

Dave